Welcome

During the past five years a number of debates and proposals to address the contribution and participation of authors from developing countries in the Cochrane Collaboration have been made. Globally, less than a 10% of the Cochrane Reviews are authored by people based in a developing country. Furthermore, many topics relevant to the developing world and addressing problems that affect large populations remain neglected, and an important divide exists also in access and use of The Cochrane Library. Product of this concern, the Developing Countries Initiative was promoted, and, after considering different options and suggestions, in December 2006, the group was officially registered as the Cochrane Developing Countries Network (CDCN).

• Aims and activities
• Scope and topics

International Conference on Evidence/Bioethics

From June 24th - 27th, in Costa Rica, the Inter-University Master's Program in Bioethics at the National University and the University of Costa Rica will host the:

• 7th Annual Meeting of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network
• 5th Annual Meeting of the Iberoamerican Clinical Practice Guidelines Network and Improving the Quality of Health Care (Iberoamerican Network-CPG)
• 2nd Annual Meeting of the Central American Branch of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network
• 1st Costa Rican Bioethics Conference.

The meeting will examine scientific evidence and biothics as they relate to research involving human subjects and willi nclude topics relevant to organizations in the clinical field as well as health policy. In addition, workshops will be offered on Cochrane Collaboration methods (e.g., RevMan 5), evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, and the production and use of systematic reviews.

All are invited to attend - we hope to see you there!